Security systems are generally known. Such systems typically include a physical barrier (e.g., walls, doors, etc.) that define and protect a secured area and number of sensors placed around a periphery or within the secured area to detect intruders. The sensors may include one or more switches placed on doors or windows. The sensors may also include passive infrared (PIR) detectors, motion detectors and a number of security cameras.
The security cameras may be monitored either locally or remotely for intruders. Alternatively, a video stream from each of the video cameras may be analyzed by a computer processor on a frame-by-frame basis to detect the motion of an intruder based upon differences between successive frames.
The sensors of a security system are typically connected to a common control panel. The control panel may be arm or disarmed by an occupant through a user interface on the control panel. Once armed, the control panel may monitor each of the sensors. Upon activation of an intrusion sensor, the control panel may activate a local alarm and/or send an alarm signal to a central monitoring station.
While such systems work well, they are often not as effective as they could be. For example, some areas of a secured space are normally occupied by people in the ordinary course of use of the secured space. While a computer processor is able to process successive images to detect at least some abnormal events, there are also events that the computer processor cannot detect. Accordingly, a need exists for methods of processing video that accommodates the ability to detect and record the possibility of suspicious activity.